by Oversight, Transparency and Administration Subcommittee and Rep. Rommel and others (CS/SB 1224 by Military and Veterans Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security Committee and Senators Passidomo and Hutson)

This summary is provided for information only and does not represent the opinion of any Senator, Senate Officer, or Senate Office.

The bill creates an exemption from public record and public meeting requirements for information associated with a campus emergency response of a public postsecondary educational institution. “Campus emergency response” is defined as a public postsecondary educational institution’s response to or plan for responding to an act of terrorism or other public safety crisis or emergency, and it includes information such as threat assessments, response plans, staffing, and identification of students, faculty, and staff.

Under the bill, a campus emergency response held by a public postsecondary educational institution, a state or local law enforcement agency, a county or municipal emergency management agency, the Executive Office of the Governor, the Department of Education, the Board of Governors of the State University System, or the Division of Emergency Management is exempt from public record requirements. Additionally, any portion of a public meeting that would reveal information related to a campus emergency response is exempt from public meeting requirements.

The bill states that a campus emergency response affects the health and safety of students, faculty, staff, and the public at large. If campus emergency responses were made publicly available for inspection or copying, they could be used to hamper or disable the response of a public postsecondary educational institution to an act of terrorism, or other public safety crisis or emergency. The result of which would be an increase in the number of Floridians subjected to fatal injury.

This exemption is subject to the Open Government Sunset Review Act and shall stand repealed on October 2, 2022, unless reviewed and saved from repeal through reenactment by the Legislature.

If approved by the Governor, these provisions take effect July 1, 2017.